1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a gas turbine, and more particularly to a gas turbine wherein liquid droplets are injected into compressor inlet air of the gas turbine. The present invention further relates to a combined cycle plant, and more particularly to a combined cycle plant wherein liquid droplets are injected into inlet air of a compressor of the combined cycle plant. The present invention relates also to a compressor, and more particularly to a compressor wherein liquid droplets are injected into compressor inlet air.
2. Description of the Related Art
When the air temperature rises in summer or the like, the power output of a gas turbine drops, and various constructions are disclosed for a method of power recuperation.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. Hei 7-97933, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Application No. Sho 61-37794 or Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. Hei 5-195809, it is disclosed to cool compressor inlet air.
Meanwhile, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. Sho 61-283723, it is disclosed to supply water from an entrance of a compressor and a mid stage of the compressor in a combined system of a gasification furnace and a gas turbine.
Further, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Application No. Sho 56-43433, it is disclosed to provide a supply hole for water droplets in a compressor, and in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. Hei 2-211331, a gas turbine which includes two high pressure and low pressure compressors and an intercooler provided between the compressors is disclosed. Meanwhile, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. Hei 6-10702, an apparatus is disclosed wherein, in a compressor group which includes a plurality of compressor stages, water is injected into an intermediate location between the compressor stage on the upstream and the compressor stage on the downstream in order to reduce power consumption.
However, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. Hei 7-97933, Japanese Utility Model Publication Application No. Sho 61-37794 or Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. Hei 5-195809 merely discloses to drop the temperature of inlet air to be introduced into a compressor in order to augment the power output. Although it is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. Sho 61-283723 to evaporate liquid droplets during compression to utilize them as a medium for cooling the blades of a turbine and to augment the turbine cycle characteristic, it does not achieve both of power augmentation and thermal efficiency augmentation.
For a gas turbine, a combined cycle plant or a compressor, it is demanded to achieve both of power augmentation and thermal efficiency augmentation.
Meanwhile, in order to achieve both effects of augmentation of the power output and thermal efficiency augmentation as in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. Hei 6-10702 or Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. Hei 2-21133, a specific equipment is required for a flow path of high pressure gas at an intermediate portion of a compressor, and there is a problem in that the compressor configuration is complicated and increased in scale as a whole. Further, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Application No. Sho 56-43433, a casing and nozzles in a compressor are required to have a special construction.
Where an actual gas turbine, combined plant and compressor are taken into consideration, it is demanded that power augmentation and thermal efficiency augmentation can be achieved with simple equipment.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a gas turbine, a combined plant and a compressor by which both of augmentation of the power output and augmentation of the thermal efficiency can be achieved by injecting liquid droplets into inlet air introduced into an entrance of a compressor.
In order to attain the object described above, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gas turbine, comprising a compressor for compressing and discharging gas supplied thereto, a combustor in which fuel is combusted with the gas discharged from the compressor, a turbine driven by the combusted gas of the combustor, and a liquid droplet injection device for injecting liquid droplets into gas to be supplied into the compressor to make the temperature of the gas to be introduced into the compressor lower than the temperature of external or ambient air so that the injected liquid droplets introduced into the compressor together with the gas may be evaporated while flowing through the compressor.
With the gas turbine, liquid droplets can be injected into inlet air to be introduced into the entrance of the compressor on power demand to achieve both of augmentation of the power output and augmentation of the thermal efficiency with simple equipment which is suitable for practical use.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gas turbine, comprising a compressor for compressing and discharging gas supplied thereto, a combustor in which fuel is combusted with the gas discharged from the compressor, a turbine driven by the combusted gas of the combustor, and a liquid droplet injection device provided on the upstream side of the compressor for injecting liquid droplets primarily having droplet diameters of 50 xcexcm or less into gas to be supplied to the compressor.
With the gas turbine, fine liquid droplets can be supplied into inlet air to the compressor by simple equipment which is suitable for practical use, and water droplets can be conveyed well by an inlet air flow to be supplied to the compressor. Accordingly, gas which contains liquid droplets can be transported efficiently from the entrance of the compressor into the compressor. Further, the liquid droplets introduced into the compressor can be evaporated in a good state. Consequently, augmentation of the power output and augmentation of the thermal efficiency can be achieved.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a combined cycle plant, comprising a gas turbine including a compressor for compressing and discharging gas supplied thereto, a combustor in which fuel is combusted with the gas discharged from the compressor, a turbine driven by the combusted gas of the combustor, a heat recovery boiler for generating steam using exhaust gas from the turbine as a heat source, a steam turbine driven by the steam generated by the heat recovery boiler, and a liquid droplet injection device for injecting liquid droplets into gas to be supplied to the compressor of the gas turbine to make the temperature of the gas entering the compressor lower than the temperature of external or ambient air so that the injected liquid droplets introduced into the compressor together with the gas may be evaporated while flowing through the compressor.
With the combined cycle plant, the thermal efficiency can be augmented while also the power output can be augmented on power demand.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a compressor to which gas is supplied and which compresses and discharges the supplied gas, comprising a liquid droplet injection device for injecting liquid droplets into gas to be supplied to an entrance of the compressor to make the temperature of the gas entering the compressor lower than the temperature of external air so that the injected liquid droplets introduced into the compressor together with the gas may be evaporated while flowing down in the compressor.
With the compressor, driving power for the compressor can be reduced by simple equipment which is suitable for practical use.
According to a yet further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid droplet injection device for injecting liquid droplets into gas to be supplied to a compressor of a gas turbine which includes the compressor for compressing and discharging gas supplied thereto, a combustor in which fuel is combusted with the gas discharged from the compressor, and a turbine driven by the combusted gas of the combustor, wherein the liquid droplet injection device injects liquid droplets to make the temperature of the gas entering the compressor lower than the temperature of external air so that the injected liquid droplets introduced into the compressor together with the gas may be evaporated while flowing through the compressor.
With the liquid droplet injection device, both of augmentation of the power output and augmentation of the thermal efficiency of a gas turbine or the like in which the present apparatus is disposed can be achieved.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts or elements are denoted by like reference characters.